Cen Yu watched Wen Ruyu walk into the Qin King's mansion, then turned her gaze to Wen Mohan, who was calmly drinking tea beside her, with a hint of helplessness. "Mohan, with Wen Ruyu's meticulous mind, he probably already suspects it's related to the Prime Minister's mansion."
Wen Mohan held his teacup, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I never intended to hide it from the Qin King. He and I are sworn enemies. It's not necessarily a bad thing for him to know."
"Aren't you afraid the Qin King will tell Xiao Man about this?" Cen Yu knew very well how much Xiao Man meant to Wen Mohan.
If Xiao Man were to learn that the plot to blind her was connected to the Prime Minister's mansion, she might very well stand against them.
"That depends on whether Xiao Man would believe it," Wen Mohan said slowly. "I would never harm her, never. But the Qin King will. For his ambition, he will betray her, hurt her, and abandon her. Only I will always stand behind her, protecting her."
Cen Yu remained silent. Prince Nan Gongyu of Qin was indeed ambitious and ruthless.
However, Xiao Man was no less formidable than the Qin King. It was uncertain who would betray whom when these two clashed.
In his eyes, Xiao Man was more dangerous than the Qin King!
He had initially thought Xiao Man was merely an arrogant and foolish young lady, yet she had evaded his assassination attempts time and again. Even with all the hidden operatives he had planted in the General's mansion, he couldn't kill her, and in the process, he had exposed himself.
"Mohan, have you considered that Xiao Man is not as simple as she appears?" Cen Yu reminded Wen Mohan.
Those involved were often blind to the truth. Xiao Man's methods might be far more terrifying than they imagined.
"How could the woman I, Wen Mohan, love be simple?" Wen Mohan looked out the window. "If Man'er were a naive and brainless girl, do you think the Qin King would be so fixated on her?"
Cen Yu gave a wry smile. "It seems I was too shortsighted. When did you realize her disguise?"
"How could a foolish and brainless woman lead me through pursuits and escape? How could she have secretly returned me to the Prime Minister's mansion without anyone noticing? But, no matter how capable she is, she is still a girl who needs protection," Wen Mohan said slowly. "It's just... I'm not sure what to do now."
"Because of Mo Yu?" Cen Yu understood Wen Mohan's dilemma.
Wen Mo Yu's poisonous scheme was intended to make Xiao Man suffer as she did, forced to marry someone she disliked. Wen Mo Yu's animosity towards Xiao Man ran deeper than they imagined.
Cen Yu interpreted Wen Mohan's silence as an admission. The two women who held significant positions in Wen Mohan's heart had become mortal enemies, and Wen Mohan was caught in the middle, which was truly agonizing.
"I will find a way to dissuade Mo Yu."
"It's useless. Yu'er's temperament is such that she won't listen to advice, especially concerning matters related to the Qin King," Wen Mohan said with a headache.
Because of the Qin King, the two women he cared about most were on the verge of becoming enemies. Thinking of this, his resentment towards Nan Gongyu deepened.
Meanwhile.
Wen Ruyu went directly to Nan Gongyu's study. Nan Gongyu was handling official documents. Wen Ruyu entered without disturbing him, sat down to drink tea, and sighed while drinking.
Nan Gongyu raised an eyebrow and looked at Wen Ruyu. "Speak your mind."
"The one who killed Li Zhaoyao was Cen Yu."
Nan Gongyu nodded. "So, the mastermind behind it is Wen Mo Yu. That makes sense."
"To be able to mobilize people from the Han King's mansion, to know the location of the secret room, to silently abduct Xue Kun, and to instruct Li Zhaoyao to lure the Fifteen there, and then use Cen Yu to silence him afterward. This kind of demeanor is quite in line with the Prime Minister's style," Nan Gongyu chuckled.
"Should we tell Xiao Man about this?"
Mentioning Xiao Man, Nan Gongyu's expression grew colder. "Ru Yu, she is not foolish. If you can find this out, don't you think she can?" He paused. "Also, have you discovered the forces behind her yet?"
Speaking of this, Wen Ruyu felt defeated.
No matter how he investigated, he couldn't find out who the forces behind Xiao Man were. What was even more infuriating was that among Xiao Man's several head maids, excluding Yin Zhu and Qiu Tong, the others had no traceable information, indicating that those maids were also part of her backing forces.
The backgrounds of these individuals were clean, leaving no trace. Even when Nan Gongyu planted his own people in Xiao Man's courtyard, they found nothing!
"Alas, for a young lady of the Protectorate General's mansion, her mind is so meticulous..." A thought flashed through Wen Ruyu's mind. "Your Highness, if her mind is so meticulous, how could she so easily fall into the opponent's trap?"
The brush in Nan Gongyu's hand paused.
It was truly unexpected for Xiao Man to fall into the opponent's scheme this time. She knew that the Han King's mansion was a trap for her; she wouldn't be so unprepared. Now, with her eyes injured, she was essentially defenseless!
"This girl, she is truly ruthless towards her enemies and even more so towards herself!" Nan Gongyu sighed. "She is feigning weakness to lull her enemies into complacency, and then deliver a fatal blow at the opportune moment!"
"Tsk, tsk, such scheming skills are wasted in a backyard. Why not recruit her into the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?"
"Get out!"
The incident of Xiao Man being attacked at the Han King's mansion was ultimately concluded by punishing a few negligent servants and was dropped.
However, this incident truly provoked Xiao Zhen. The Han King's mansion was placed on the list of those the Protectorate General's mansion would refuse to interact with.
Although the Han King was furious, he was helpless. His gaze fell upon Wen Mo Yu, who was elegantly grooming herself at the dressing table. Everyone said the Wen family young lady was gentle, virtuous, and possessed the demeanor of nobility, but who would have known this woman was as poisonous as a viper?
"Why strike against Xiao Man so hastily? Doesn't this pit us against the Protectorate General's mansion?" Nan Gong Cheng asked calmly.
"The General's mansion is already our enemy. I am merely accelerating the confrontation," Wen Mo Yu turned to look at Nan Gong Cheng. "You don't honestly believe you can gain the support of both the Prime Minister's mansion and the General's mansion, do you?"
"Falling out with the General's mansion at this time is quite disadvantageous for us."
"We would clash sooner or later. With the Prime Minister's mansion on our side, what are you afraid of?" Wen Mo Yu sneered. "Or do you think the Prime Minister's mansion is no match for the General's mansion?"
"No."
"Then were your previous promises all lies?" Wen Mo Yu's smile vanished from her face. "Do you know the consequences of lying to me?"
"Yu'er, my promises to you are, of course, true," Nan Gong Cheng knelt beside Wen Mo Yu and took her hand. "I just feel that now is not the best time for a confrontation. If the Protectorate General's mansion becomes wary, Xiao Zhen will undoubtedly protect Xiao Man thoroughly. Now, anyone related to the Han King's mansion is forbidden from entering the General's mansion. It will be even more difficult for us to deal with her."